A study compared two groups of children in an urban elementary school who were unready for second grade at the conclusion of first grade. A group of 15 students was retained in first grade while another group of 45 students was promoted to second grade. The California Achievement Test was used to measure the reading ability of both groups at the end of second grade. Results indicated no significant difference between the two groups. Of the 48 classroom teachers at the elementary school, 37 responded to a survey concerning their attitudes towards retention. Results indicated that the teachers preferred retention but were willing to take into consideration current research which indicates that retention is not effective. (Contains 21 references and 4 tables of data. The survey instrument is appended.) (Author/RS)